Ruger SP101 vs Glock 20 SF

[Texasjim]

I am in the market to buy a new firearm and am looking at both the ruger sp101 3" .357 mag, and the glock 20 sf 10mm. The intended use would be for hiking, largest thing I would have to worry about in my area is cougar, black bear and wild hog, and on rare occasion I would carry it in place of my g19 for EDC. Also want to think about ammo price and concealablity of it. Anyone that have experience with one of these or both, or just have a opinion please let me know what you think. And yes I know the g20 is a big gun, but I have no problems concealing my full size sig p220.

 

[PabloJ]

The Glock 20SF is about the best 10mm pistol one can get. The SF is pretty much universal fit grip. We are lucky Glock still makes 10mm pistols as they must be slow movers. The .40S&W sales are about 3x that of all .45auto sales and numbers for the 10mm sales must be even worse then .45acp.

 

[jimbo555]

If size is not an issue then consider the ruger redhawk! I prefer revolvers for woods carry,mine is a ruger police service 6 4inch barrel 357magnum.

 

[One_Jackal]

If you plan to carry the gun get the Ruger. A 10mm Glock is about as easy as a hi point to conceal. The 10mm Glock doesn't appear to be as accurate as the SP101. A friend has a 10mm glock. He was going on about how accurate it was, so we made a friendly bet. My P95 schooled him. There was some luck involved. I don't hit a bullseye 10 of 15 shots all the time.

 

[CraigC]

If outdoor use is the game I'd suggest a full-sized 4" revolver like the GP-100 or S&W 686. The Glock is chambered in a good cartridge but everything else is wrong for a field gun. Coarse sights, heavy trigger, mediocre accuracy.

 

[CDW4ME]

I have a 29 SF and would take it over a SP101 (use to have one).
The only ammo I've shot in the 29 is the Hornady 155 gr. XTP which averaged 1,278 fps / 562# KE; that load is "full power", but not one of the hottest available.

I also use to have a Speed Six with 2 3/4" barrel it shot the Federal .357 Mag 125 JHP at an average of 1,248 fps / 432# KE

The model 29SF is listed as having a 3 3/4" barrel, but that includes the chamber, if the chamber is removed from the measurement the barrel is about 2 3/4" or equivalent to the Speed Six I owned.

Yes, the .357 Mag is available with heavier bullets, but so is the 10mm and they are 1mm bigger in diameter.

For hiking or CC I would take the Glock 10mm:
-bigger and potentially more powerful round
-lighter weight
-quicker follow up shots (have not done a revolver vs Glock timer drill, but I believe I would be quicker with the Glock: using a G19 I matched my 1911 for 2nd shot time)
-greater ammo capacity

 

[jmr40]

Yea, Glocks are only good for mediocre accuracy

http://s1129.photobucket.com/albums/m513/jmr40/?action=view&current=001.jpg

This is my G-19 at 50', The G-20 is about the same, and is good for 4" or so groups at 50 yards. I just don't have a photo of it.

The G-20 is about perfect for your needs. With the best loads 10mm and 357 are about equal as long as the 357 has a 6" or longer barrel. The SP's 3" barrel is giving you 9mm velocity and the G-20 will easily shoot heavier, larger diameter bullets faster. It is also about the same overall length and weight, but with 3X more ammo on board.

For nightstand use revolvers are fine, but for dirty outdoors conditions semi's have proven to be more rugged and reliable.

 

[One_Jackal]

For nightstand use revolvers are fine, but for dirty outdoors conditions semi's have proven to be more rugged and reliable.

I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk that is over 30 years old. It has never failed to fire under extreme circumstances. Ride your Glock 20 under the seat for over a year without cleaning it. Then with your hands covered in cement powder grab it from under the seat and shoot a deer 35 yards away.

After your done cleaning the deer just take a water hose and wash the blood and cement dust from your Glock. I know for a fact the Super Blackhawk can handle it. I just washed it, wiped it down and gave it a good spray of WD-40. It still looks decent and shoots great today.

 

[CraigC]

The G-20 is about the same, and is good for 4" or so groups at 50 yards.

That is stellar accuracy for a Glock but a good revolver will halve that. Half is a lot.

For nightstand use revolvers are fine, but for dirty outdoors conditions semi's have proven to be more rugged and reliable.

Proven by whom, exactly? Far as I can tell, revolvers have been proven through 150yrs of dirty outdoor conditions. According to people like you, we should all just pack them in a glass case and only retrieve them for oiling with a moist diaper. Whereas people like me USE THEM ALL THE TIME and, believe it or not, NEVER HAVE A PROBLEM. We even (gasp!) use them old fashioned sixguns that require thumbing back the hammer before they go bang! Jesus, this Glock true-believer nonsense gets tiresome and quick. Maybe you should put your sidearm in a good holster instead of dragging it behind you on a string???

 

[wow6599]

If outdoor use is the game I'd suggest a full-sized 4" revolver like the GP-100 or S&W 686

I hear this a lot. I don't understand why a lot of folks think a 4" barrel is that much better than a 3"? I have owned, or still do own, a G20 SF, a 3" SP101, 4" 686 SSR and 4" GP100.

The heft of a "full size", 4" Ruger or Smith is not worth the one extra rd and 75 +/- FPS.

Buffalo Bore shows 1302 fps with a 180 gr. HC from a 3" S&W. 1375 from a 4". 1398 from a 5".

They list a G20 with 180 gr. bullet (4.6" barrel) moving at 1311 fps. There isn't data for a G29, but it would have to be in the mid to high 1200 fps range.

So why "the need" for a full size .357 Mag? I don't think it matters unless you go up to a 6" + barrel....that's where things really "take off".

 

[CraigC]

Four inches is considered by most authorities in the field to be a minimum. Five or six would be better for most folks. Has nothing to do with velocity and everything to do with sight radius. For me, and most folks who actually use a handgun in the field, I need to be able to connect on small targets out to at least 50yds. Concealed carry is a totally different set of parameters but I see this growing trend that concealed carry enthusiasts with practice at 7yds at the indoor range think they know something about fieldwork with a handgun and speak so with authority.

They don't.

 

[Texasjim]

As it stands my outdoors gun is a ruger vaquero 7" .44mag. I love the thing, only problem is that it is like having a brick tied to my belt, after you hike 4 miles and have 6 to go for the day you start to hate that thing. As I understand it the sp101 and g2 are about the same weight. Am I wrong in this. From what I've read so far the ballistics on .357mag and 10mm are about the same. Am I wrong on this? I know that neither the .357 or the 10mm will equal the power of the .44mag, but when it comes to weight what one?

 

[CraigC]

I've hiked all day with a rifle AND a heavy sixgun on the hip. If I have a problem with it, it's not the few ounces on my hip but the few extra pounds on my rearend. If you have a proper belt and holster, it shouldn't be a problem whatsoever.

 

[Kayaker 1960]

It seems to me that every time somebody asks "Should I get gun A or gun B" a bunch of guys say, "No, you should buy gun C, D, or E"
Texas Jim wants a gun for trail carry, not a hand cannon, not a gun for urban survival.
I have an SP101 with 2-1/4" barrel. With a nice Galco holster I can almost forget that I'm carrying it and and a shirt covers it well. When hiking I load it with 180 grain bullets. I'm not looking at a gun fight, I'm comfortable with 5 rounds.
I don't have any 1st hand experience with a Glock 29 ( I do have a Glock 22 as well as a S&W40c ) for hiking here in N. California I carry my SP101.

 

[wow6599]

I see this growing trend that concealed carry enthusiasts with practice at 7yds at the indoor range think they know something about fieldwork with a handgun and speak so with authority

Very true. If I start working on a new 10mm or .357 load for "woods carry", I like to shoot at bricks or cans at about 25 yards. I figure if I can hit the brick, that's probably about the distance I would need for "protection" from a cat or balck bear (Missouri).

 

[TrueTexan]

If I am in the field and looking for protection I would prefer a revolver. If for one reason, a FTF I don't have to clear on a revolver I just pull the trigger again. I say this for field because of possible dirt mud etc. my CCW is a sig 220 carry but I don't take it into the woods that is reserved for my S&W 686 6in and AK47

 

[PabloJ]

If I am in the field and looking for protection I would prefer a revolver. If for one reason, a FTF I don't have to clear on a revolver I just pull the trigger again. I say this for field because of possible dirt mud etc. my CCW is a sig 220 carry but I don't take it into the woods that is reserved for my S&W 686 6in and AK47

Unless it is inexpensive bought in bulk rimfire cartridge like .22lr quality centerfire pistol cartridge very seldom does not go off. G20 is far better all around defensive weapon then any mid-size revolver.

 

[lloveless]

I have a sp-101 with the 3 inch barrel. I prefer to carry it to the 4inch gp-100 I used to have. The .357 is a much more versatile cartridge than the 10mm, and a lot more available. I do not have to chase down my casings to reload from a revolver. I have seen several G-20 for sale. Anchorage, AK was the last place, but they had no ammo for it at the store. On the other hand here in little ole Woodbury, Tn the local ACE Hardware had ammo for the 10 mm, but of course no guns. Good luck in your quest. Most of us have carried out this exercise. You will also carry many different guns, and may never find the exact combination. That is half the fun though. Trying them all out, then doing it again just to make sure.
ll

 

[PabloJ]

I would prefer SP101 to the stainless boulder too. If you choose G30SF there should be plenty of ammo on many store shelves including local Walmart. Standard mag is 10 rounds with 13 round ones also available.

 

[jeff-10]

I have a SP-101 and I love it. It has the 2 1/4 barrel length. I am not particularly recoil sensitive but shooting full power (or even not so full power) 357 rounds is rough. I have a 2 1/2 inch 686+ and a 3 inch GP100 and I could shoot the full power stuff all day long, not so much in the SP 101.

The G20 and SP 101 are really 2 far too different guns to compare. I don't have a G20 but I have a 1076 and Kimber 1911 in 10mm. 10mm is my all time favorite cartridge and my user name here even pays homage to it. I don't consider ammo availability an issue because I buy almost all my ammo online anyways and there is an abundance of 10mm available online.

If I had to chose between the 2 and conceal-ability was not a factor the Glock 20 would win easily. It has 15 rounds of the most powerful handgun cartridge readily available and it is a very combat tested full size pistol.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

I like the Glock 20 and the 10mm Auto. It has 2.5 times the firepower. With the ability to pack 15+1 rounds, each capable of pushing a 200 gr bullet over 1200 fps and producing over 700 fpe, you can't get much more firepower in such a lightweight package. I carry mine when I am hunting or hiking. I don't have to carry a bunch of loose rounds or speedloaders to get a decent amount of ammo on board. Just keep the G20 with a spare 15 round magazine in a $25 Uncle Mikes Sidekick clipped strongside OWB, and I figure I am set for pretty much any two or four legged predator I encounter in the boon-toolies.

The .357 Magnum and 10mm Auto are pretty well matched in terms of power, at least when you consider energy figures. But when it comes to picking between two similar energy figures, I'll put my bets on the heavier, larger diameter slug in terms of real world killing power every time. And penetration in tissue is largerly a matter of momentum, which typically favors larger slugs, which is something to consider when you might potentially be facing large, heavily muscled and very angry critters.

 

[lloveless]

Jeff-10 wrote: "It has 15 rounds of the most powerful handgun cartridge readily available and it is a very combat tested full size pistol."
From where I sit the .44 magnum far out strips the 10mm, and where I live and have traveled the .44 mag is also way more available. We aren't talking about going into combat here. The .357 can be obtained most places that carry ammo also and is more potent than a 10mm IMHO.
ll

 

[savanahsdad]

you say you have a G19 and a sig P220 , do you have a good wheel gun ? if not , get the Ruger SP101 I carry a wheel gun in the woods and an auto else where , in the woods you don't need alot of rounds as what you may be shooting at wont be shooting back, and with a 357mag you can shoot 38's and have a great plinking gun

 

[Texasjim]

Savan,
I have two wheel guns, both ruger vaquero, one in .44mag the other in .45 long. They are both great guns but the single action in a stress filled environment I'm not so sure about.

As of yet I am not sure what way I will go, the .357 to .38 is a great point, but the 15+1 of the glock is nice as well. As far as to what I've trained with the glock 19 is by far what I'm best with. But like I say, still unsure what I'll get. But thank you all for the advice, I'm happy with everything I've read so far.

 

[Hunter125]

I would say the G20 just so you are carrying a gun with the same Manual of Arms as your EDC. Not impossible to switch it up, but if you are comfortable with your G19 I would go that route.